'89 Yamaha Virago
 

I'm planning to travel through Central and South America on my motorcycle with my boyfriend in October. I'm a newer rider and have only ridden the '89 Yamaha Virago 250cc that I currently own. I love the bike, but am doubting that it is the best bike for the trip (mainly because of the two gallon gas tank). I like that it is light and the weight is low to the ground so I can handle it better. I test drove some dual sport bikes, but they are so tall that I have difficulty touching the ground (I'm 5'5"). Any ideas, suggestions, or thoughts would be welcome. Thank you! :)

Welcome to HU!

tip: Have a good browse through the menu - you'll find a lot of stuff you wouldn't expect, if you only browse the HUBB.

Also of course check out the DVD series for loads of thoughts and ideas about which bike.

My first thought is that you can always carry a space 2 gallons of gas on a rack on the bike for when it's needed. Much of the time it won't be! Too may people get carried away with large fuel tanks when you can always carry spare the very odd time you need to. 2 gallons IS small, but then you should also get great mileage on that bike, so your range might not be so bad.

Another thought is that there are loads of dualsport bikes that can be lowered significantly, the F650GS single or even the twin are great examples of well done lowered bikes. Many women as short as 5 feet ride them just fine.

Best of luck, and do keep us posted on your travel plans here!

Thanks for the advice. I've definitely been reading the posts here and there's a ton of great information. My other concern with my bike is how difficult it is to start when it's cold out, but that might be something to have fixed. I'll keep you posted. :)

This is a comment from having owned a 750 but if it's hard to start in the cold have it looked at. With mine you put on the choke and in two turns it always started no matter how cold (I rode it in 0C weather) but then I wouldn't take a virago on a long trip because of the small tank but that's my opinion only. As the saying goes "The best bike to ride around the world is the one you have" and you can always allow for the small tank by carrying gas if you have to. :scooter:

Good luck and have a great ride Cheers Growler